Lafayette, CA - Jewish Airman Killed in Afghanistan

Lafayette, CA - Senior Airman Jonathan Yelner volunteered to be sent to Afghanistan two months ago to help local residents build new roads and buildings and to set up water supplies.

Yelner, 24, was killed Tuesday when a bomb exploded near his vehicle near Bagram, about 25 miles north of Kabul and the site of an air base where U.S. forces are stationed.

“I’m very proud of him,” said his father, Bruce Yelner of El Cerrito. “He was performing one of the more nobler duties of the military in Afghanistan. He did a lot of good for the local Afghanis.”

His mother, Yolanda Vega of Lafayette, said, “However, I know he’s with God. I know he’s in heaven.”

In a statement, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said, “Senior Airman Jonathan Yelner answered the call to defend the United States with bravery, integrity and a relentless devotion to the ideals and freedoms that we all hold dear.”